Washing machine with hydraulically operated spray arm for dishes and utensils



June 2, 1964 G. BROLLO 3,135,272

WASHING MACHINE WITH HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED SPRAY ARM FOR DISHES ANDUTENSILS Filed June 1, 1962 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,135,272WASHING MACHINE WITH HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED SPRAY ARM FOR DISHES ANDUTENSILS Giuseppe Brollo, Viale Fulvio Testi 49, Milan, Italy Filed June1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,471

3 Claims. (Cl. 13457) The present invention relates to a washing machinefor dishes and utensils.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a washing machinewhich produces a plurality of water jets located at one end of one ormore arms, oscillating at an angle, between which the dishes andutensils are conveniently arranged in latticed baskets or trays, whichdishes and utensils are subjected to vigorous washing by the wateremerging from the jets and passing into a tank located underneath; Fromthere it is filtered and is again conveyed by means of a pump to thespray-jets and is finally discharged at the end of the washing operationthrough an outlet pipe disposed below the washing machine. 6

It is another object of the present invention to provide a washingmachine, wherein an oscillating arm or arms are actuated by means of adouble action hydraulic piston,

the movement of which is induced by water from mains at normal outputpressure with the help of means for reversing the hydraulic supply anddischarge, these means consisting preferably of electrically operatedvalves or such, capable of alternately opening and closing the input andoutlet pipes, respectively, for the water to and from the pistoncylinder conveniently controlled by the oscillating carrier arm or arms,which regulate the synchronized operation of the electrically operatedvalves.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in thefollowing detailed description, the present invention will be clearlyunderstood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which theonly figure is a schematic perspective view of the dish washing machineincluding an electric circuit.

Referring now to the drawing, a protective housing A is provided whichcomprises a washing compartment 1 and a collecting compartment 3therebelow, the latter being preliminarily filled with hot water fromthe pipe 2 and equipped with a lateral, vertically disposed filter 4which filters the water, preventing the clogging of the filter. Thefiltered water is conveyed to a small chamber 5 for supply of cleanwater for washing the dishes and utensils contained in a lattice basketor tray 6 appropriately arranged in the washing compartment 1.

At the lowest part of the collecting chamber 3, a waterconveying member7 is disposed transversely and mounted for oscillation about its ownaxis, as well as equipped with tubular arms 8. The conveying member 7communicates by means of a pipe 9 with a water pump 10, the mouth ofwhich projects sufliciently from the bottom of the small chamber 5, inorder to draw clean water which is fed through the pipe 9 to theconveying element 7 and in turn to the tubular arms 8, and then poursover the dishes and utensils by means of a powerful spray distribution,to emerge from the ejector nozzles 12 and 13 of appropriate structureand conveniently turned towards the basket or tray 6.

The oscillating tubular arms 8 form jointly a fork, in order to surroundthe mesh basket or tray 6, containing the dishes or utensils, and aresecured by suitable means at their lower part to a shaft 14 pivoted on arod 15 of a piston 16 reciprocating in a cylinder 17, so that thereciprocating motion of the piston 16 in the cylinder 17 causes theangular oscillation of the conveying element 7, swingably mounted in thesealed bearings 18 and 19,

, 3,135,272 Patented June 2, 1964 L provide" a return flow.

Both inlet pipes 20, 21 and both outlet pipes 22, 23 are equipped withelectrically operated valves 24, 25 controlling the input andelectrically operated valves 26, 27 controlling the discharge,terminating the water inlet pipe 28 and the outer outlet tube 29,respectively.

The electric power supply for the electrically operated valves iscontrolled by an electric switch 30 actuated by one of the oscillatingtubular arms 8 by means of a lateral projection 31, extending integrallyfrom the tubular arm 8 which, at the ends of the swinging amplitude ofthe arms abuts the projections 32 and 33 extending from a small shaft 34sliding in bilateral bushings 35 and carrying the switch 30, which isthus operated by an axial movement of the small shaft 34. The switch 30is actuated when the one arm 8 with its projection 31 engages theprojections during its oscillating movements.

If it is assumed, that the oscillating arms 8 move in the direction ofthe arrow F, and have reached the end of their oscillating movement, oneof the arms 8 has, therefore, made contact with the projecting end 33 ofthe small shaft 34. The switch 30, disposed in the electric circuit M ofthe washing machine, permits, in its operative position, the powersupply to the electrically operated valves 24 and'26, causingcommunication of the pipes 20 and 23 with the water inlet pipe 28 tofeed water into the cylinder, thereby, pushing the piston 16 in adirection contrary to the direction of the arrow B, while water on theopposite side of the piston 16 is discharged through the pipes 23 and29, thus causing oscillation of the arms 8 in a direction opposite tothe direction of the arrow F until it abuts the other projecting end 32or the rod 34. At this point, by means of the switch 30, the arm 8,carrying the projection 31 causes reversing of the electric current fedby the above mentioned electric circuit M, with the result that itactuates the electrically operated valves 25 and 27, so as to causecommunication of the pipes 21 and 22, with the respective pipes 28 and29 and, hence displacement of the piston 16 and thus of the oscillationarms 8 in the direction of the arrows E and F, respectively, to acomplete swinging turn, which automatically repeats the reverse actionfor the entire washing machine operation.

After having completed the washing and rinsing of the dishes andutensils, the switch T of the Washing machine control is turned off andthe water, now dirty, will be removed completely through the mouth 37 ofthe discharge pipe 36 and also the water through the outlet pipe 29 fromthe cylinder 17, terminating in the discharge pipe 36, upon prioropening of a suitable discharge cock (not shown).

An electric resistance 38 and a thermostat 39 regulates the washingtemperature during the operation of the washing machine.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is tobe understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in alimiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined bythe objects and the claims I claim:

1. A washing machine for dishes and utensils, comcomprising a housing,

a washing compartment disposed in the upper portion of said housing,

a collecting compartment disposed in the lower portion of said housingand means for feeding hot water into said collecting compartment,

a lattice basket mounted in said washing compartment and adapted toreceive said dishes and said utensils to be washed,

a lateral filter disposed vertically across said collecting compartmentand adapted to filter used washing water,

said housing defining a chamber adjacent said vertical filter to receivethe filtered washing water,

a pair of substantially parallel upwardly directed pipe arms mounted forangular oscillating movement in a vertical plane laterally of saidlattice basket,

means for angularly oscillating said pipe arms,

means for feeding hot water through said pipe arms,

a plurality of water jets secured to the upper end of each of said pipearms and directedtowards said lattice basket,

a water pump disposed in said housing below said chamber,

a first conduit for feeding said filtered water from said chamber tosaid Watertpump,

a second conduit for feeding said filtered Water from said water pump tosaid pipe arms, in order to reuse said hot water sprayed on said dishesand said utensils,

a discharge pipe extending downwardly from said collecting departmentfor removal of used Washing water upon termination of the washingperiod,

said means for oscillating said pipe arms comprising a hydrauliccylinder having a piston reciprocating therein and operatively connectedwith said pipe arms,

means for feeding pressurized water into said cylinder alternately tothe opposite sides of said piston,

said feeding means including electrically operated valve means foropening and closing, respectively, said feeding means into saidcylinder, and

an electric switch controlling said electrically operated valve means. 7

2. The Washing machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electricswitch includes abutment means engaged by at least one of said pipe armsat the end of each oscillation stroke of said pipe arms, therebyshifting said switch alternately into corresponding operative positionsfor operation of said electrically operated valve means during theoperation of the washing machine.

3. The washing machine, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said piston hasa piston'rod, and

a shaft pivotally connected with said piston rod at one end and withsaid pipe arms at its other end, so that upon reciprocating movement ofsaid piston an oscillating movement of said pipe arms is brought about.1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS158,684 Cosgrove Jan. 12, 1875 883,132 Goff Mar. 24, 1908 998,579 HerzJuly 18, 1911 1,927,665 Kirby Sept. 19, 1933 2,078,670 Kirby Apr. 27,1937 2,194,071 Hine Mar. 19, 1940 2,236,791 Forsberg Apr. 1, 19412,701,574 Hollerith Feb. 8, 1955 2,703,579 Merancy et a1 Mar. 8, 19552,903,994 Hrubec Sept. 15, 1959

1. A WASHING MACHINE FOR DISHES AND UTENSILS, COMCOMPRISING A HOUSING. AWASHING COMPARTMENT DISPOSED IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING, ACOLLECTING COMPARTMENT DISPOSED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING ANDMEANS FOR FEEDING HOT WATER INTO SAID COLLECTING COMPARTMENT, A LATTICEBASKET MOUNTED IN SAID WASHING COMPARTMENT AND ADAPTED RECEIVED SAIDDISHES AND SAID UTENSILS TO BE WASHED, A LATERAL FILTER DISPOSEDVERTICALLY ACROSS SAID COLLECTING COMPARTMENT AND ADAPTED TO FILTER USEWASHING WATER, SAID HOUSING DEFINING A CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID VERTICALFILTER TO RECEIVE THE FILTERED WASHING WATER A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLYPARALLEL UPWARDLY DIRECTED PIPE ARMS MOUNTED FOR ANGULAR OSCILLATINGMOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE LATERALLY OF SAID LATTICE BASKET MEANS FORANGULARLY OSCILLATING SAID PIPE ARMS MEANS FOR FEEDING HOT WATER THROUGHSAID PIPE ARMS, A PLURALITY OF WATER JETS SECURED TO THE UPPER END OFEACH OF SAID PIPE ARMS AND DIRECTED TOWARD SAID LATTICE BASKET, A WATERPUMP DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING BELOW SAID CHAMBER,